Railroad-ticket



(No Model.)

W. E. FINCI-I.

RAILROAD TICKET. 110.462,812. Patented Nov. 10, 1891.

COUPON 8 H0072'.

roh/1.

E8.' INVENTOH @jr/v MW.

ATTORNEY.

mi unam: pawns cof, mon-ouwe., msuwmuu, n, c.

UNITED STATESV PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIS E. FINOH, OF vDENVER, COLORADO.

RAILROAD-TICKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,812, dated November 10, 1891. Application filed May 19, 1891. Serial No. 393,341. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIs E. FINCH, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Tickets; and l do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specilication. n

My invention relates to improvements in railroad-tickets; and the object of the improvement is to prevent the traffic by brokers or scalpers in limited non-transferable coupon-tickets. The general form of this ticket is well known to the traveling public. The conditions upon which the tickets are purchased are set forth at the top of the ticket and signed by the purchaser. The gist of these conditions is that in consideration of the reduced rate at which the ticket is sold the same is limited as to time and only good for passage while inthe hands of the original purchaser, whose name is signed to said conditions. Below the conditions are printed coupons, indicating the stations between which the coupon is good. 'lhearrangement of the coupons is such that the first to be used is at the bottom of the ticket, and so on in succession toward the top, so that each may be torn off as used without injuring the other coupons.

lt often happens for various reasons that the original purchaser travels over only a portion of the route for which the ticket is purchased.' lle then seeks a broker and disposes of the ticket, the broker in turn selling the ticket to some one, who in order to use the same must personate the original purchaser. So far as known to me no means has been devised to prevent this traliic, which, though contrary to the terms of the ticket, is successfully practiced to the great financial detriment oi" the companies issuing the tickets.

My improved ticket,which, before stated, is designed to break u p this traffic, is provided with an envelope attachment for each coupon, and in this envelope is sealed astrip of paper or other material upon which is written or printed the names of the stations between which the coupon is good for passage, the date of the ticket, and the time during which itis good. This strip is signed by the purchaser and carefully sealed by the agent at the time the ticket is sold. According to the terms of the ticket, these coupons are not good if detached or the seal broken. lt must be remembered that the information contained on the strip sealed in the envelope is not found elsewhere on the ticket.

My improvement will be fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated an embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is afront view of the ticket, and Fig. 2 a back view showing the envelopes, one of which is broken open to exhibit the strip, which is inclosed when the envelope is sealed.

In the views wherein similar referencecharacters indicate corresponding parts of the ticket, let numeral 10 designate the upper portion of the front face of the ticket, upon which is printed the class of the ticket, the name of the company issuing the same, and the different roads over which the route extends. On the bottom portion 15 of the front is printed an acceptance of the conditions set forth in the tickety or check and attached coupons. lart 1 5 of the ticket forms a part of the last coupon. On the front 2O of each coupon is printed the announcement that the check and coupon will not be received for passage unless presented by the original purchaser, or if the seal is broken.

The opposite side of the ticket, for convenience termed the back, will now be described. On the top portion 25 of this part is printed substantially the matter on the corresponding opposite side l0 of the ticket. Below the top portion 25 there is secured to each coupon a small envelope 30. This envelope may be secured to the Vticket in any suitable manner. As shown in the drawings, it is fastened by an eyelet, which is passed through a suitable opening formed through the back of the envelope and the card of which the body of the ticket is formed and clinched on the opposite side, as shown in Fig. l.

Inclosed within each envelope is a slip or strip of paper or other material upon which is printed the name of the company issuing the ticket, names of the stations between which the coupon is good, the date of issue, and the date of expiration of the number of days from date during which it'will be received` for passage. An acceptance to be signed by the purchaser is also printed on strip 40. This slip is preferably fastened to the envelope and to the ticket by the eyelet 35, which attaches the envelope, as before eX- plained. As shown in the drawings, slip 4() is folded under at the top, as indicated by the dotted lines 36. through the portion folded under. Hence eyelet is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Then the slips 40 for all the coupons are prepared and signed by the purchaser, the slips are folded and inclosed within the en- Velopes, which are carefully sealed. The method of sealing is immaterial, but it should be such that the envelope cannot be unsealed or opened without leaving` such marks as will indicate that lthe seal has been broken.

, As shown in the drawings, after the envelope is sealed by sticking down the gummed edges, apiece of tape or ribbon 50 is secured at one extremity by eyelet 35, this `eyelet being yso located that it fastens the ribbon near one corner of the envelope. The ribbon is then drawn across the envelope to the opposite diagonal corner, where it is fastened by a Wax seal 55 or by an eyelet-seal 60, which passes through the ticket, as shown in both figures.

Beneath each envelope is a statement to the effect that the coupon is Void if detached or the seal broken. It will thus be seen that after the envelopes are sealed there is nothing visible on either side of the ticket to indicate its value, the stations between which it Will be received, or Whether the date of eX- piration has or has not arrived. Hence if the holder is not the original purchaser the ticket will be of no value to him unless he can ascertain the contents of slips 40, which he can- The eyelet passes only case, there is nothing on the ticket anywhere to indicate even the name of the original purchaser. In any event, if a broker should buy the ticket from the purchaser, he, the broker, would have to rely on the purehasers statement as to the contents of slips 40 within the sealed envelopes. Again, if the broker should buy the ticket the purchaser from him Would have to take the brokers Word as to the value of the coupons or the contents of the sealed inclosures.

When in the hands of the purchaser, my improved ticket has the saine advantages that any other ticket possesses. When presented to the train-conductor, he of course breaks the seal of the coupon-envelopes before detaching the coupon, When the contents of slip 40 are revealed, giving the conductor the same information as the ordinary ticket.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A coupon-ticket consisting of a suitable back, a separate scalable pocket attached thereto for each coupon, and route-coupons forming the inclosures of the pockets, substantially as described.

2. A railroad coupon-ticket consisting of a back having sealable pockets or envelopes attached theretocoupons inclosed within the pockets, and seals, eachconsisting of a strip of ribbon or other material made fast between the pocket and the back of the ticket and drawn across the closed pocket on the outside and fastened, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VILLIS E. FINCH.

W itnessesz- WM. MCCONNELL, G. J. ROLLANELET. 

